Yamaha YDS120 Digital Saxophone Demonstration

I needed to play all the parts for saxophone quartet arrangements I do, so I bought the Yamaha YDS 120 digital saxophone.

[@audreytonge3339]

This is the best review I’ve seen of the yds120. Thank you!

[@noskanow]

Thanks glad you like it.

[@noskanow]

Apologies to viewers, I had a bit of brain fog during this video. The last of the functions you can set up is REVERB, not vibrato as I said. Vibrato is fixed and can't be changed but if you want to sound like you're playing in a cathedral, turn up the REVERB setting!

[@benefitsconsultingservices8718]

I have a YDS 120. It is a great investment for any sax player. I love the fact that you can practice in private anywhere. Once amplified the sound is of great quality. As a saxophone player for the last 51 years I give it two thumbs up!!

[@carlospiso]

A very useful review, thanks ! 😽

[@sachachanyan]

Great review! I just got one. I‘m a guitarist/singer and don’t play the sax yet but I have a list of about 20 songs I intend to learn to play while backing myself with my guitar with the help of a looper. I‘m going to busk and and play cafés and restaurants and small gigs with it which makes its‘ sonic versatility very handy. It’s also great for practicing at any time of the day with earphones in an apartment, a bus, a train, a plane, an airport.... An enormously practical tool!

[@noskanow]

Good luck!

[@luancruz8473]

thanks for the video! i recently bought one of these for study at night!

[@noskanow]

Good luck with your studying. I didn't mention in the video but headphones work very well with it.

[@MP-ek6vo]

Nice explanation. One question - how do I connect it to VL70m ? Is there any midi out like wx7 or wx5 etc?

[@noskanow]

I had a VL70m back in the '90s and from what I remember I don't see how it could be connected to it. There's no MIDI out from the YDS120 and there are only two ways into it. There's an AUX IN 3.5mm jack plug and as far as I can tell all that does is play an audio input over the internal speaker or headphones. The other way in is via the micro USB connector and this is used to connect to a device which is running the YDS120 App produced by Yamaha and available from Play Store. I've got the app on my mobile phone and when connected it allows you amongst several other things to load synth voices into the custom voice slots. I haven't explored that function because I'm not interested in doing that and I think it's pretty restricted for the kinds of things you're looking to do with it.

[@MP-ek6vo]

I got it. Thanks for your response. It does not have any Bluetooth either. I think Yamaha really need to think about their products . Have a good day Sir.

[@ewitor9547]

To connect the YDS 120 to the VL70m you need the USB to MIDI interface. I am using KENTON (MIDI USB HOST). Set the display to CRL mode. Connect the USB output of YDS 120 to the USB input of the interface. Using a MIDI cable, connect the MIDI output of the interface to the MIDI input of the VL70m. Perform transposition on VL70m

[@MP-ek6vo]

@@ewitor9547thanks this really helps

[@JesusIsKing96]

Great video thanks. I have had my YDS120 for just over a week now. There is so much that I love about up, but THE most annoying thing, and U am wondering if it is just me, as I have little hands, is the octave key.! If I don’t have the sax resting on my leg when I play, I am finding that the sax seems to want to turn and so I find it extremely difficult to keep the octave key on. Especially if I am using my palm keys the come back down onto the higher register of c,b and a, I have to REALLY press the octave key. It is so frustrating, because apart from that, the sax does exactly what I hoped it would do. Any advice please?

[@noskanow]

Yes I too found the octave key a bit troublesome initially. It's positioned about 45 degrees right of centre and even though it's 20mm long it has to be pressed in the middle to activate its digital switch, if the octave touch piece is pressed at its ends the digital switch will not activate. This means that your thumb must be a long way over to the right all the time and I sometimes failed to activate it until I got used to it. It's just a case of being aware of this feature and working with it in the same way you might have to do with a new acoustic saxophone, you have to get used to it.

[@JesusIsKing96]

@@noskanow thanks for that and yes I will persevere because I do love it. Just a shame that Yamaha never thought of improving it after the YDS150. Especially something so crucial as that! Happy playing.

[@simmonslumber1210]

Can you play any of the sax voices in concert pitch? Thanks

[@noskanow]

Don't think so, and you can't use the tuning function because it hasn't got the range to pull transposing saxes into concert pitch. Good point though, it seems like a C Melody sax isn't catered for.

[@ewitor9547]

Using the YDS Controller program installed on your smartphone, you can transpose the sound to any key and save it in the instrument’s memory. I created user instruments for playing the soprano in concert pitch.